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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 2/6/2014 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: New approaches to vector surveillance and control are being evaluated at the Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida. One approach is to use flowering plants. Mosquitoes of both sexes are attracted to nectar producing plants. These plants generate mixtures of volatile chemicals. The overall objective of this study is to determine how plant attractants can be utilized to develop improved surveillance and control strategies with Aedes albopictus as the target species. Specific objectives of this project are: determine what plants our target species is attracted to; develop plant based attractive lures for surveillance; and, explore the potential use of plant semiochemicals to attract mosquitoes to both natural and artificial kill stations using attractive toxic sugar baits. A survey has been conducted for two years to identify natural and landscape flowering plants in north central Florida that are seasonally available to our target species. An attempt is being made to determine which of these plants are being utilized by Aedes albopictus as a nectar source. Is one plant species preferred over another? The approach was to utilize intact flowers and extracts of flowers in olfactometer studies to determine relative attractancy. The headspace collections of floral volatiles were analyzed by GC/MS. Current emphasis has been on two plant species, Buddleja davidii (butterfly bush) and Solidago leavenworthii (goldenrod). In olfactometer studies adults of both sexes of Aedes albopictus have been found to be attracted to the volatiles produced by both these plants. |
